Question 1

Is this purchase order creator free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can build a purchase order and download it as a PDF with no signup, no watermark, and no usage limit. The document is generated in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to a server.

Question 2

What should a purchase order include?

Accepted Answer

At minimum: a unique PO number, the order date, your company details, the supplier details, the delivery address, a line for each item with quantity and agreed unit price, the currency, the payment terms, and a required delivery or ship-by date. For imports, add the Incoterm and the HS code per line so freight quotes and customs paperwork can be prepared from the same document.

Question 3

Why does the line item table have an HS code column?

Accepted Answer

The HS code determines the duty rate and customs classification for each item. Capturing it on the purchase order means your customs broker and freight forwarder can work from the PO directly instead of asking for the classification weeks later, when the goods are already moving.

Question 4

Which Incoterm should I put on a purchase order?

Accepted Answer

The Incoterm decides where the seller stops paying and you start. FOB and EXW are common for buyers arranging their own freight; DDP puts the entire delivered cost on the supplier. Whichever you choose, it needs to match the quote the price was based on — a price quoted EXW and a PO written DDP is a dispute waiting to happen.

Question 5

How should I number purchase orders?

Accepted Answer

Use a short, sequential, never-reused format such as PO-1042. Some importers prefix by supplier or year. What matters is that the number is unique, appears on the carton markings and the invoice, and can be matched against the packing list when the shipment lands.

Question 6

Should I send the PO as a PDF or an Excel file?

Accepted Answer

Send the PDF. It is the version of record and it cannot be quietly edited after you send it. Keep a spreadsheet for your own working copy if you want one — the free Excel purchase order template covers that.

Question 7

How do I get the purchase order to my supplier?

Accepted Answer

The PDF downloads straight to your device, so you attach it to an email the way you would any other document — that costs nothing and needs no account. If you would rather not track it by hand afterwards, you can save the same purchase order into SupplyAutomate, where it stays alongside the documents, freight, and delivery for that order instead of scattered across an inbox, a folder, and a spreadsheet.

Question 8

Is a purchase order legally binding?

Accepted Answer

A purchase order generally becomes binding once the supplier accepts it, which is why the acceptance and the terms on the document matter. This tool produces a standard commercial PO, not legal advice — have your own terms and conditions reviewed if you are placing significant orders.

Question 9

Do I need a purchase order if I am buying on Alibaba?

Accepted Answer

Alibaba orders usually run on a proforma invoice the supplier writes, and Trade Assurance records the agreement on the platform. Sending your own purchase order first is still worth the ten minutes: it puts your specification, quantity, price, and ship-by date in your words before the supplier puts theirs in writing. When the proforma invoice comes back, compare it against your PO line by line — every difference is something to settle before you pay a deposit.

Question 10

What is the difference between a purchase order and a proforma invoice?

Accepted Answer

You issue the purchase order; the supplier issues the proforma invoice. The PO is your offer — what you want, at what price, by when. The proforma invoice is the supplier confirming it, usually with their bank details attached for the deposit. Both documents should carry the same PO number, and any figure that differs between them needs resolving before money moves.

Question 11

How do I write a purchase order for a Chinese supplier?

Accepted Answer

Write it in English, state the currency explicitly (usually USD), and name the Incoterm — FOB with the port named is the most common arrangement for a first order. Give a ship-by date rather than a lead time in days, put an HS code on every line, and describe material, size, colour, and packaging in the description instead of writing "as per sample". Say how cartons must be marked, because that is what your freight forwarder and your warehouse will look for when the goods arrive.

Question 12

Does a purchase order include shipping?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the Incoterm. On EXW or FOB the unit price excludes international freight, so you leave the shipping field at zero and pay your forwarder separately. On CIF, DAP, or DDP the supplier arranges some or all of the transport, so either the unit price already covers it or the supplier quotes freight separately — that figure goes in the shipping and freight field. Either way the PO total is not your landed cost: duty, customs clearance, and delivery to the warehouse still sit on top of it.

Question 13

What payment terms should a first order use?

Accepted Answer

The common structure for imports is a deposit against the purchase order and the balance before the goods ship or against a copy bill of lading — 30% and 70% is the usual split. Paying the full amount up front removes your only real leverage if quality is wrong, and most established suppliers will not expect it. Whatever you agree goes in the payment terms field so the PO and the proforma invoice say the same thing.

Question 14

Do I need a purchase order for Amazon FBA inventory?

Accepted Answer

Amazon does not ask for one — FBA needs a shipping plan, not your PO. The purchase order is for your supplier and for your own records. For FBA specifically, put the prep requirements on the PO itself: FNSKU labels, polybags with the suffocation warning, carton weight and dimension limits, and whether the supplier ships to your prep centre or straight to a fulfilment centre. Agreeing prep after production has already run is one of the more expensive ways to learn this.

Question 15

Is this the same as an Amazon Vendor Central purchase order?

Accepted Answer

No. A Vendor Central PO is one Amazon issues to you when you sell to Amazon wholesale. This tool creates purchase orders you issue to your own suppliers, which is what a private label, FBA, or ecommerce seller raises when buying stock.

Question 16

Do I need purchase orders for a Shopify store?

Accepted Answer

If you hold your own stock, yes. The PO is what fixes the price and the delivery date before you pay, and it is what you reconcile the supplier invoice and the delivered quantity against. If you are dropshipping and never handle the inventory, you generally will not raise a PO for individual customer orders — but you still want one the moment you place a bulk buy or commission a custom production run.

Question 17

Should the MOQ go on the purchase order?

Accepted Answer

The quantity you are actually ordering goes on the PO, not the supplier minimum. If you negotiated a price that depends on hitting a volume, note it in the terms — a unit price quoted at 5,000 pieces does not survive an order for 1,200, and it is better to have that written down than discovered on the proforma invoice.

#	SKU	Description	HS code	Qty	Unit	Price	Total
1	MUG-350-WHT	Stoneware mug, 350ml, matte white	691200	2,400	pcs	$2.15	$5,160.00
2	BWL-18-SGE	Serving bowl, 18cm, sage glaze	691200	1,200	pcs	$3.40	$4,080.00
3	GFT-BOX-M	Printed gift box, medium, 4-colour	481920	3,600	pcs	$0.42	$1,512.00

Create a Purchase Order and download the PDF

Order details

Your company

Supplier

Ship to

Line items

Terms, tax and freight

Live preview

What a purchase order has to get right

A number everything matches against

The Incoterm and the ship-by date

HS codes on every line

Sending your first purchase order

Buying from a Chinese supplier or Alibaba

Ordering stock for Amazon FBA

Stocking a Shopify or DTC store

Purchase Order Creator FAQ

Purchase order basics

Suppliers, Alibaba, Amazon FBA and Shopify

Then it has to actually arrive.

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